About the Author

Doug Werner is the author of 15 books on sports and fitness, including the books in the Start-Up Sports series. He lives in San Diego, California. Steve Badillo is a touring pro skater and operates Skatelab Summercamp in Simi Valley, California. He is the coauthor of Skateboarder's Start-Up: A Beginner's Guide to Skateboarding and Skateboarding: New Levels: Tips and Tricks for Serious Riders. His stunts have appeared in national ad campaigns, in music videos for bands such as Limp Bizkit, and on the MTV show Becoming Pink. He lives in Ventura, California.

Reviews

Gr 4-8-This beginner's guide to skateboarding is presented in a question-and-answer format that is easy to follow. The text discusses equipment, history, and basic skating and technical tricks. The issue of safety is also addressed. However, though the book warns that protective gear should be worn while skateboarding (helmet, elbow and knee pads, wrist guards), many of the adults shown in the approximately 250 black-and-white photos are not wearing it. The reason given is so that techniques can be better captured, but it's not a very convincing explanation. Unfortunately, the photos are small, grainy, and often dark; thus, they don't adequately illustrate the techniques explained in the text. The excellent list of resources (books, camps, museums, organizations, skate parks, shops, Web sites, and magazines) is more helpful than the book itself.-Diane Olivo-Posner, Long Beach Public Library, CA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.